Monday, November 30, 2009

Bloomberg has an interesting article today from the legal world, reporting that the Connecticut Attorney General has sued CVS for allegedly selling food and drugs past their expiration date.

Similar cases against CVS were brought and settled in New York and California. The article describes the AG's investigation which revealed at least 20 Connecticut stores selling products past their prime, including allergy medicine, dairy products and even baby formula.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Gear up for the holidays and help The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich by joining in the festivities for their biggest fundraiser events of the year at Antiquarius. As an Aquarius, I'll put aside my initial concerns that the event was somehow against me, and say that Samantha Knapp is working hard to make it a smashing success.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Heights & Lights is back! On December 6th at 4:30pm, Santa and his Christmas caribou will clip on their carabiners. Say that five times fast.

All the season's usual suspects will be thrusting themselves over the edge of the Landmark Building for a 22-floor descent just to entertain you. Joining them will be the K.T. Murphy Chamber Singers and a host of fireworks (hopefully with a safe distance between them).

Santa then heads to Bedford Street's Latham Park to flick the switch on the holiday tree. There, he's joined by The Broadway Kids, youngsters straight off the Broadway stage. As always, the events are free - as is the hot chocolate at the First Congregational Church and Unitarian Universalist Society just across the street.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Saturday and Sunday, November 28th to the 29th, the BEATexpo comes to Stamford. An event to celebrate The Beatles, it begins at 8pm with a series of Saturday concerts and continues from 11-7:30pm on Sunday.

Notable guests include Peter Tork of The Monkees, Greg Hawkes of The Cars, Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster of The Munsters) and a host of other folks who knew, loved and helped make The Beatles. The event takes place at the Holiday Inn, 700 E. Main Street. Advance tickets for each day are $15.

Apparently, autographs are available free of charge - but this is evidence of the fact that I did not know that people regularly pay for autographs (really? huh).

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Lots o’ people are looking for information on tomorrow’s Stamford Parade, so I’m happy to sum it up. It starts at noon on the corner of Summer and Hoyt Streets. You can see a map of the parade route here. Balloons and bands pack it up at Atlantic Street near the train station. I’m not gonna lie to you – parking will not be fun – but you can see a map of downtown parking options here.

And…if you didn’t check out the parade quiz this week, here is a recap:

1. What are some new balloons making their debut appearance this year? (Hint: there are three to choose from)? Super Grover, Cookie Monster and Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle)

2. What is the oldest balloon in the parade this year? Kermit, made in 1999

3. What is the biggest balloon in the parade this year? Also Kermit! He’s 60 feet tall and 18 feet wide.

Well citizens, you should know by now that Stamford's Thanksgiving Parade (aka, the UBS Parade Spectacular) is tomorrow, but your weekend can also feature some more festivities. If you head to Hyatt Regency Greenwich, 1800 East Putnam Avenue, Old Greenwich, CT today (9-5) or tomorrow (10-5), you can check out the Greenwich Junior League's The Enchanted Forest.

Also known as TEF, it features trees wearing their holiday best, festive gingerbread houses and elaborate wreaths. There are activities for children and adults alike. As one of the biggest fundraisers for the Greenwich Junior League, it's a big event! Adult admission is $10 and children under 12 come in for $5. There are discounts for larger family groups.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Turkey Day Parade is mere moments away, and Stamford Notes is celebrating with a little quiz to keep Stamford citizens on their toes. Check back tomorrow for answers and a new set of questions. Here goes:

1. What are some new balloons making their debut appearance this year? (Hint: there are three to choose from)?

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Interesting article a few days back from Angela Carella on Malloy's impact on Stamford. I didn't realize that he'd changed us from "Moving Forward for People" to "The City that Works" - with an emphasis on the idea that we are a city. Malloy apparently came to the office of mayor from the Board of Finance, and believed that the city workforce was "bloated and not terribly efficient." So, the phrase "The City that Works" was coined in a season of wishful thinking.

Inspired by the idea that you create a slogan for the city that you hope it will become, here are some alternatives:

- Stamford: No Holes Here- Stamford: Now with Cool Grocery Stores!- Stamford: The City that Perks (plug for independent coffee shops)- Stamford: High-rises Completed in Four Years or Less- Stamford: We Got the Guys Who Slit your Tires- StaMford: Even Southern Californians Spell it Correctly

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Chris Preovolos has shed some light on the artist formerly known as Galangal, reporting that the space's new tenant will be a Chinese-Indian fusion restaurant called Chinese Mirch.

According to the website, the name means spicy Chinese in Hindi. Images of the NY location show a staid but elegant dining room. Eye catching items on the menu include chicken lollipops and crispy okra.

Called the NY location to see when we can expect open doors, and they could only use words like "soon" and "in the works." In their defense though, they said "ma'am" about 5 times. If you're going to not know stuff, it's good that you can do it politely.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

If you said “untamed,” you may want to check out the latest offering from the Stamford Symphony on November 14th (8pm) and 15th (3pm).

Come hear Untamed Fury, “the dark soul of the Russian Romantics,” when Conductor Eckart Preu welcomes Pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine in a performance featuring the works of Tchzikovsky and other Russian composers.

Those who come an hour early will get a behind the scenes tour, and there is a childrens’ program on Sunday at 1:45pm. Visit the Stamford Symphony website for more details.

Looking for a new friend with fur? In a down economy especially, there are lots of dogs and cats in need of a loving home. On Saturday the 14th, there are two pet adoption events you may want to attend. Closer to Stamford, the Stop & Shop at 380 Main Ave in Norwalk will be looking for worthy pet parents for a variety of animals from 11 to 3pm. Up the road in Brookfield, there will be a greyhound rescue event at 169 Federal Road from 10 to 3pm.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Christmas comes early to the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa with 40 vendors, childrens' activities and a silent auction for holiday wreathes decorated with donated goodies. Check out the website above for tickets and details.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Pet Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a Norwalk-based group that cares for and finds homes for needy dogs and cats. In July, I blogged about their Bark in the Park Walk. Help them out this month and enjoy a little wine and dine.

WINE: On Saturday, November 14th from 6-8pm, help PAWS by attending Wine Tasting and Silent Auction at the Beardsley Gallery (196 Danbury Road, Wilton CT). You'll enjoy a private viewing of "A Moment's Beauty" and the chance to walk away with a silent auction treat. Tickets to this event are $25 in advance or $30 the day of. For advance tickets, visit the PAWS website or mail a check to the PAWS shelter at the address below. Every nickel of the proceeds will help support the animals now living with PAWS.

ATTN: Wine Tasting tickets504 Main Ave.Norwalk, CT 06851

DINE: On Wed/Thurs, November 11/12th, three local restaurants will donate half of the profits from your tab to PAWS. They're calling the event Pizza and Pasta for Paws, and to participate, dine-in or take out from Toozy Patza Pizza, Piccolo Pizza Pasta & Catering and Wilton Pizza & Pasta and present this flyer. Don't forget the flyer if you want to do your good deed of the day!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

I've heard a lot of support for independent book stores through Stamford Notes, and ok, this is not within the strict boundary lines of our fine city, but if you head down the road just a click, you'll come across Barrett Bookstore in Darien.

Barrett is has teamed up with the Greenwich Arts Council for a free event open to the public called Literary Lights 2009 on Thursday, November 12th from 6-8:30pm. The event will be held at the Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich. It features more than 20 authors in attendance, food and wine to share and book sales with no tax! A few nice tax-free books fill up a Christmas stocking pretty quick, penny pinchers...

You can see a full list of authors ready and willing to sign your book and shake your hand at the Greenwich Arts Council/Literary Lights site above, but they include:

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry dates a girl with a collection of toys from his childhood and feeds her sleep-inducing food so he can play?

Think of The Stamford Museum & Nature Center's new exhibit, Dolls, Toys, and Teddy Bears: Playthings of Yesteryear, as the same thing but for your grandmother and without the possibility of criminal charges. Ok, odds are you can't take them out for a test drive, but the exhibit opens November 7th and features playthings from the turn of the 20th Century to the 1950s.

There will also be a Visions of Gingerbread village of holiday houses beginning with a Members' Preview on November 6th. It includes a silent auction for the little cookie castles, and will not be your run of the mill fare. Organizers say the entries will include "edible replicas of a Roman coliseum, Spain’s Alhambra, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water."

(photo from The Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Scootles, a kewpie doll from 1925 who made her way onto a US postage stamp and who will be on display as part of the exhibit)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Another local artist you may want to check out is Whirlybug. Maria Scrivan picked the name because her interest in bugs and butterflies. She’s translated her childhood affection for drawing and her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts into a 15 year career in design.

Commercial illustrations, storyboards, greeting cards and t-shirts are all part of her repertoire. Her work is an expression of her sense of humor, as you can see in her drawings of bunny slippers, birds with lunch boxes and ladybugs on scooters. Her printed work features acid-free archival watercolor paper and non-fading inks. Her work also features silkscreens and American-made cotton bags.

She has lived in Stamford for three years, but is not far from her hometown of Cos Cob. She’s no fan of Stamford in March, but enjoys local cycling, the llamas and otters at The Stamford Nature Center and Kit’s Thai Kitchen. Check out her work here and here.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Advocate reported that two eleven year old boys were approached on Halloween by three other young boys. One of the three approaching boys, age twelve, “carried a BB-gun and told the two 11-year-olds to give up their candy.” The eleven year olds did not have any candy, and a twelve year old shot one eleven year old in the back and missed hitting another. The child with the BB-gun was charged with second-degree assault, criminal attempt at first-degree robbery, possession of a facsimile firearm and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

By no means do I condone this child's behavior. What he did was wrong and should be punished. That being said, apart from the fact that a twelve year old has been charged with several felonies (crimes for which one can serve more than a year in jail), the following thoughts occur to me.

The only definitions of second degree assault that could apply to this child would require that he: (1) With intent to cause serious physical injury to another person, he causes such injury to such person or to a third person; or . . . (3) he recklessly causes serious physical injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument… Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 53a-60.

There’s an enhancement for the same offense with a firearm, but you have to meet one of these definitions first. So which one applies? Can you intend serious physical injury with a BB-gun? My friend’s brother hit me in the foot with a BB-gun once when I was about this age. It stung a little, but it certainly didn't cause serious physical injury. I know BBs can cause serious harm to one's eye, but there's no indication that this is specifically relevant here. Is a BB-gun a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument? Is a BB-gun hit to the back a serious physical injury?

And first degree attempted robbery requires (in relevant part) that during an attempted robbery, the person: (1) Causes serious physical injury…; or (2) is armed with a deadly weapon; or (3) uses or threatens the use of a dangerous instrument; or (4) displays or threatens the use of what he represents by his words or conduct to be a pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, machine gun or other firearm… Conn. Gen. Stat. sec. 53a-134.

Again, is a BB-gun a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument? Is it a “firearm?”

And what exactly is involved in the crime of “possession of a facsimile firearm?” Are you guilty if you own a water gun? What about a stick shaped like a gun that your kid uses for "cops and robbers?"

Perhaps most surprising is that a twelve year old has been charged with “risk of injury to a minor.” Can a twelve year old "risk injury" to an eleven year old? There are good and important anti-bullying measures being pursued in and out of schools, but are felony charges the right answer for punishment of pre-teens? Felony records can be an impediment to success (jobs, home ownership, etc.) for the rest of one's life.

I don't have the answers, but I certainly have questions. I'd welcome your input.

"Talking Transportation," a blog by Jim Cameron, Chairman of the CT Metro-North Rail Commuter Council, has an interesting post on delays for the M8 trains. Apparently the trains will not be available for use until towards the end of 2010, which is a year later than anticipated.

It seems that all of the benchmark dates have come and gone, but the Japanese manufacturer is paying hefty fines as a result. Read the rest of Jim's blog entry for more details - and you'll be in good company - even the Huffington Post links to it.

The cached version of May 28, 2008 blog entry by Station Stops includes a video of what those cars (eventually) may look like and the kinds of upgrades they feature. There's no indication (that I've seen) that these cars are faster, but they include updates in style, comfort and restroom facilities.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

One thing Stamford Notes aims to accomplish is to highlight local talent. Johanna Anderes is the Stamford artist behind 12fifteen. Her sophisticated collection includes stark prints of white trees on a charcoal background, coasters with stylized natural images, and charming seasonal notecards.

Johanna started her creative career at Parsons School of Design. She soon developed a special affection for letterpress, and she’s been refining her craft ever since. Her painstaking work, hand feeding each page one at a time through an antique printing press, is inspired by Minimalism and European aesthetics.

Her favorite creation, her son, is the source of her online store’s name (it’s his birthday). Next on her agenda is personalized stationary and limited edition art prints. Johanna has lived in Stamford for six years. She appreciates the variety of activities, but wishes for more upscale or special supermarket offerings (agreed!). Take a look at 12fifteen's online store.

I love writing children's poems, but I'm no good at the drawings. I tried to find a partner to create images with me, but they wanted more a jillion dollars. Come join me in creating something amazing! If you like the poems, send me a picture, and we'll fill in those blank spaces with color.

Where to eat...

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